Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-01

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The parents of your Australian friend Chris have invited you to a surprise birthday party for him/her. Write a letter to Chris's parents. In your letter:

• say why you think Chris will enjoy the surprise party
• explain why you won't be able to attend the party
• give details of a plan to see Chris at a different time

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well.

Thank you so much for inviting me to a surprise birthday party organized by both of you for my friend Chris. He will definitely enjoy this surprise as he loves such arrangement made by his loved ones.

Unfortunately, I have certain commitments regarding my workplace, which I need to complete within a few days. So, it is impossible for me to attend this celebration. I am really upset about it and I hope you can understand the situation. Please accept my apologies for not reaching on the venue.

Actually, I am visiting Australia next month to attend my cousin's marriage and I have already invited Chris on this wedding. We will spend our time together and we also planned a trip to renowned places in Australia and arranged a accommodation for a week.

Once again, I apologize for not attending this special occasion.Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Raman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, earning a solid score. You clearly explain why Chris will enjoy the party by noting that 'he loves such arrangement made by his loved ones.' You also clearly explain why you cannot attend due to workplace commitments that 'need to complete within a few days.' Finally, you provide a distinct plan to see Chris next month during a trip to Australia. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the tone is appropriate for a friend's parents. However, some ideas show a slight tendency to overgeneralise or could be extended further, such as giving more specific details about the workplace commitments, which keeps the response at this level rather than reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your letter demonstrates a clear overall arrangement with logical progression throughout. You use standard greeting and sign-off formulas and organise your thoughts into sensible paragraphs, with each paragraph covering a distinct part of the task prompt, such as the reason for absence and the future plan. Cohesive devices are generally used effectively, seen in linking words like 'Unfortunately' and 'Actually'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the sequence of transitional phrases between paragraphs. To move towards higher bands, cohesive devices could be integrated more flexibly and invisibly to ensure smoother transitions between your personal news and the party details.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items with varying degrees of accuracy. Phrases like 'surprise birthday party', 'workplace commitments', and 'renowned places' show that you have a sufficient resource for this level. However, there are some minor lexical and collocational errors that prevent a higher mark. For instance, writing 'such arrangement' instead of 'such arrangements', 'reaching on the venue' instead of 'reaching the venue' or 'arriving at the venue', and 'marriage' instead of 'wedding' (though marriage is understandable, wedding is more natural for the event). Spelling and word choice are generally clear enough not to impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You present a reasonable mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating good control over standard structures. Sentences such as 'Unfortunately, I have certain commitments regarding my workplace, which I need to complete within a few days' show that you can combine clauses successfully. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'he loves such arrangement' (singular/plural noun error) and the preposition error in 'reaching on the venue', but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure your overall meaning. To achieve a higher band, you would need to produce a higher frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over prepositions and article usage.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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